Electronic Design Automation (“EDA”), also referred to as Electronic Computer Aided Design (“ECAD”), tools are used for designing and producing electronic systems, such as integrated circuits (“ICs”). EDA has grown rapidly with the continuous scaling of semiconductor technology. Users include, for example, semiconductor fabrication facilities, or “fabs”, and design-service companies. IC designers at semiconductor companies must use EDA tools, as large ICs are too complex to design manually.
Current digital flows are extremely modular; standardized design descriptions can be compiled into invocations of “cells”, which implement logic or other electronic functions using a particular integrated circuit technology. Fabricators generally provide libraries of components for their production processes, with simulation models that fit standard simulation tools.
EDA can be divided into numerous sub-areas, which generally align with the path of manufacturing from design to mask generation. Such subareas may include, for example, schematic design, simulation, synthesis, place and route (“P&R”), and physical verification (“PV”), which may involve design rule checking (“DRC”), layout versus schematic (“LVS”) checking, and layout extraction (“RCX”).
For obvious reasons, it is very expensive for a design house to maintain a full EDA environment. In addition to purchasing tools, such as those described above, as well as others, from the various EDA tool vendors, the design house must license an IP library comprising standard subcircuit and cell designs, from the appropriate parties. Additionally, the design house must employ persons possessing the skills necessary for maintaining and repairing the EDA tools, or must pay the vendor for such support.